Into the swing of things
The high school season has hit its stride.
The 2025 softball season is fully underway. Plenty of teams have been playing for about a month now, while many of the smaller schools (having plenty of multi-sport athletes) are just now getting into the swing of things.
Before we go through a few notes on the season so far, check out this 4 Corners Softball Pod video. We went out to the Jag Classic at the Hoover Met last weekend and checked in on a few of the teams. Hilarity ensued.
(If you’re not subscribed to that YouTube channel, go ahead and do that so you see those videos as soon as they’re posted.)
The Alabama Sports Writers Association (of which I am a member) begins its high school softball rankings later this week. I’ll post those in full as soon as they are available each week.
Here are a few of my observations from what I’ve seen so far this season:
Ardmore is off to a strong start under first-year head coach Whitney King. Her senior group is a strong one, and that 11-5-1 record so far does not include any bad losses.
Ashville’s Lexi St. John struck out 25 (!) batters in a game last week.
Athens earned the Class 6A state championship last spring with a potent offense led by Morgan Stiles. Despite her graduation, the hitting has continued, with Amaya Green, Lily Lowery, Caitlyn Tedford and others keeping the Golden Eagles an offensive juggernaut. That’s a team to watch in 6A.
Austin knocked off Hewitt-Trussville a few weeks ago and was impressive at the Gulf Coast Classic last week.
Madilyn Byrd at Baldwin County is still really difficult to score on.
Central is off to a hot start, boasting a 15-1 record that includes blowout wins over Hewitt-Trussville, Hoover and Pell City. Gerritt Griggs and Ally Supan are showing why they’re future SEC players so far.
Chelsea is 13-7-1 so far and has been playing some impressive ball at times. The Hornets are just now getting their basketball players back into the mix, and Katie Hopson already has 10 home runs.
Chilton County and first-year coach Dusty Dunn are 16-3-1. The Tigers can swing it.
Curry looks very much like a contender in Class 4A. The Jackets won the Jag Classic and their only loss is to Thompson.
Daphne has recently gotten its basketball players back from its final four trip, including star pitcher Vic Moten. The Trojans are a contender in Class 7A.
Hewitt-Trussville is young, and improving each day. The 11-8 record is a bit out of the norm from what we’ve seen out of the defending state champions, but once the Huskies get Zaylen Tucker close to 100%, watch out.
Holtville’s Bailea Boone recently registered her 300th career hit. The Lady Bulldogs are a sneaky good team.
Hoover’s Lindsey Westhoven came up with the big hit in the Bucs’ 6-3 area win over Vestavia Hills last Thursday. (More to come from that game later this week)
Huntsville is young, but boy, the Panthers can swing it. This program, under first-year coach Whitney Deaver, is going to be on the rise for years to come.
Lawrence County’s hot start (17-6) is no fluke, as the Red Devils have performed extremely well at a couple different tournaments so far.
Madison Academy, a team that made a deep run in Class 3A last year, is off to an 11-2 start.
Madison County is under the guidance of Robert Slack these days, and the Tigers look to have potential in Class 4A.
Maplesville has a middle of the lineup (Jaden McGee, Mollie Kayte Smith and Hannah Crowe) that would strike fear into any team, much less contenders in Class 1A.
Moody is shaping up to be one of the better teams in Class 5A once again. The Blue Devils recently handed Springville its first loss of the year, before the Tigers rallied to win the St. Clair County Tournament.
Oak Mountain is a scrappy Class 7A team. The Eagles are in a rough area, but they have made some waves with wins over Hoover and Hartselle already.
Orange Beach is certainly not relinquishing its stranglehold on Class 4A any time soon, but the Makos have played only five games so far.
Prattville Christian is a solid and deep Class 4A team. Sitting at 16-4 to this point, the Panthers will be playing deep into May.
Pell City is 11-7 so far, with some impressive wins on its resume. If the Panthers hit their stride, they will be dangerous in Class 6A.
Plainview has only played four games so far, but watch out for the Bears in Class 4A.
Rogers is giving the impression it might be a team to watch in Class 3A. The Pirates are 7-3 and hitting the long ball.
Speaking of Class 3A, Saint James may be the early favorite. The Trojans now have their full roster after basketball, and they look really good.
Saraland is off to a 13-6 start, and the Spartans have made a habit of being a team to watch in Class 6A.
Satsuma has challenged itself plenty thus far, so its 9-7-1 record may not look gaudy. Don’t let that fool you, this team will be a tough out in Class 4A.
Austin McNeece keeps on hitting, and Scottsboro keeps on winning. This Wildcats team could very well get on a roll here in March and April.
Spain Park is 14-7 and will be a factor in Class 6A.
Spanish Fort had a red-hot start to the year, winning 12 straight to start things off, capped off with a win over Orange Beach. Haley Hart’s go-ahead home run in the sixth inning gave the Toros a monumental victory. They hit a little speed bump last week, but this team is the real deal.
Fueled by consecutive early postseason exits, Springville has started 2025 on a tear. The Tigers avenged their lone loss by beating Moody twice to win the St. Clair County. They’ve got pitching depth and versatility up and down the lineup.
Kimball Cassady deserves a nod for what St. Clair County has done so far. The former Samford coach has taken over the Saints and led them to a 13-9-1 record so far. The Saints defeated Tuscaloosa County, Chelsea and Gardendale in one weekend.
Thompson looks like one of the top Class 7A teams across the state. The Warriors are 21-2, only losing to Moody and Curry to this point.
Tuscaloosa County is another Class 7A team to reach the 20-win mark so far. The Wildcats won the Gulf Coast Classic for the third straight year last week and are looking like a team capable of getting back to the regional tournament.
There may not be a more potent lineup in the state than the one West Limestone trots out every week. Lilly Bethune, Haley Waggoner, JuliAnn Kyle, Aubrey Bethune and the rest of the Wildcats are destroying softballs right now. If they keep that up, they will be a major factor in Class 4A.
Wetumpka is 23-3 to this point. The Indians figured to be in a bit of a rebuilding mode, but some of their younger players have come into their own rather quickly and been impressive.
Wicksburg, the defending Class 2A state champion, is in 3A now, and the Panthers still look strong. The pitching duo of Natalie Cole and Ellie Cox has led the way, while Anleigh Wood is powering a potent offense as well.
Hanna Kimbrell and Kennah Beth Lacy are among the players off to strong starts for a Winfield team looking to make a repeat appearance at the Class 3A state tournament.
Let me know what teams you’ve been impressed by so far that aren’t mentioned here.
The season may be a month old, but there is plenty more still to come! Please subscribe to this page, and if you think enough of what we aim to do for the softball community in Alabama, consider becoming one of our paid subscribers. You all are appreciated far more than you know.
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Let’s go watch some ball!